Global installed wind energy capacity continued to grow in 2011, but at a slightly lower rate than in 2009 and 2010, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online service.

In a press conference call last Friday, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (D) called on Congress to extend the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC).

Morocco is looking to speed up tender processes for the development of its 2,000 MW solar energy plan, starting with the first contract for 160 MW to be generated using concentrated solar thermal power (CSP).